At the end of every session each patient or student is asked to thank their team.  Some kids need to be reminded to make eye contact, others are coached to use each person’s name, and some simply touch their fingers to their chin, signing their thanks.  However they do it, the whole “team” is acknowledged.  We try not to label anyone disparately, because in doing so we would fail to acknowledge just how many roles each person plays in a given therapy session.

Perhaps the most versatile actor is the volunteer.  Calling them a sidewalker, barn aide, event helper, or facilities assistant is too limiting.  Every day tens of people come to NCEFT to give their time to those who need help, and in doing so, they themselves often leave feeling nourished.  They fill envelopes with stickers and watch a little girl’s face light up when she visits the mailbox and finds the perfect flower to stick on her helmet (one already littered with felted-butterflies and silver-edged hearts).  They show up early to swap stories with wounded Vietnam veterans and stay late to put away the hula hoops after interactive vaulting.  And despite the drool, the endless rounds of “Wheels on the Bus”, and the need to occasionally dodge an errant rubber ball, these volunteers keep coming back week after week.

With National Volunteer Appreciation week drawing to a close, the staff at NCEFT would like to take a moment to thank everyone who donates their time to make our work possible.  Without your tireless support and enthusiasm each week we’d be entirely unable to make such a positive impact in the lives of so many.  Sometimes we get caught up in our own tasks and struggle to find the time for the many wonderful volunteers who come through the facility, but know this, not a second goes by that we don’t feel deeply grateful for your presence.  You are part of our team and though there is no “I” in team, we’re glad there’s a “U” in volunteer!